Conference Sunday

Oct. 3, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
How was your conference weekend? I thought about you throughout the meetings knowing that you were probably watching at the same time. Did you get to watch all the sessions? Where did you end up watching from? Who were some of your favorite talks?

I really enjoyed the very first talk of conference by Elder Holland. I also enjoyed the talk on parenting this afternoon and the talk by Elder Bednar about receiving the Holy Ghost in your life. Dad had to work, so the girls and I watched every session together.

I also managed to get some handwork done while watching tv and then finished my book I'm making with all my letters to Sean while he was on his mission. I'm being better with yours as I'm keeping them in order and saving them. I had to search high and low for all of Sean's and then to put 2 years' worth in order was quite the task. But it's finished and I'm going to order a hard copy book.

Nikki had her big birthday party Friday afternoon. Here are some pix. We played a bunch of minute-to-win-it games. Nikki said it was the best party ever!








Looks like they might be finished with the movie making in the neighborhood, I'll have to look down there tomorrow morning and see if all the cars are still there. Turns out it's going to be an "R" rated movie about drug cartels, murders, etc. They were filming some high speed car scenes from our house down to the drug lord's house. They used a red corvette. They were also doing some kind of explosions. The neighbors, the MacDonald's, were irritated with it all, but if it was next door to us, I have the feeling we would have thought it was cool.

It's been very hot here lately, like in the 90's and here it is October. It's actually supposed to get a bit cooler this week though.

I had a presidency meeting this week where we took all the donated coats from our women's conference and sorted through them. We ended up with about 200 coats and they were all in pretty good shape. We picked 4 charities to deliver them to. I took some coats yesterday to a place right here in Eagle off of Linder called Christian Children's Ranch, a place where they take in homeless children and school them and have 3 homes where they live. Each home has a set of parents who have volunteered to live there and take care of the children as if they were their own. I never even knew that place was there and they had quite a few ongoing needs. I think we'll try to gather some items for them as a family.

How has your work been going? Have you been back to see Quinton? What a rough life. I also hope Elder Mix isn't leading you astray. I know you knew already that not all the missionaries follow the rules, but exact obedience is richly rewarded by Heavenly Father. Elder Bednar spoke of receiving the Holy Ghost and that's one of the most important ways we can receive the Holy Ghost, through our obedience. I need the help of the spirit every day and need to constantly be aware of how I can keep the spirit with me. That's why I really appreciated his talk.

In between sessions we watched a special on the new Kiev Ukraine temple. It has made a huge impact on the people there and they interviewed several people who went through the tours. They literally were coming out of the temple crying saying how strong the feeling was inside there and how they wanted to know how they could feel that feeling more often. One lady said she came on the last day and wished she had come sooner so that she could have gone through more often. That's something I've learned in life that non-members who feel the spirit for the first time often feel it so powerfully, something we sometimes take for granted because we feel it so often. Needless to say, the missionaries have been inundated with requests for visits and books, etc. Maybe we should have more open houses in the temples around the world and then rededicate them. So remember that when you're teaching. If you take the spirit into each home, the people you teach who are looking for something in their life, will be able to feel the spirit so strongly that you may even be amazed sometimes. I hope you find opportunities to bear your testimony as often as you can.

Speaking of temples, looks like ours is going to be closed for almost a year for renovations. Not sure if that means they have to rededicate it or not. But for a while we'll be going to the Twin Falls temple. I really like the Twin Falls temple and remember our trip to the open house there, so I look forward to going there.

Sean just called and told me about his mission reunion on Friday night. He said about 60 missionaries showed up and he knew all of them, so it was a lot of fun for him. He then went to Grandma and Grandpa Thompson's and also went to priesthood session with grandpa. I remember going to the priesthood session with grandpa last April...Kirk said the MTC choir sang and he thought he saw Cameron. But we'll have to see if he was there or not when we read his letter tomorrow. As of last week, he and 4 others were still in the MTC. The rest of the Mexico missionaries had been reassigned to state missions somewhere until their visas came in. We ran into Tim at WalMart and he told us Austin only has to be in the MTC in Peru for 2 weeks because he and a few others were learning the language so well. So even Austin may be out in the field before Cameron.

Over the weekend, BYU lost again and BSU won 56-0 and EHS won at their homecoming game. Homecoming dance was the night of conference so I don't know what most of the young men ended up doing.

I'm glad you mentioned you were doing service there. Remember the best way to start to really care about and love the people you are living amongst is to serve them. You were sent to Illinois for a reason and it's up to you to find that reason and make the most of it.

We're putting together a package that we're mailing out to you tomorrow. Be sure to let us know when you finally get it. I know letters aren't taking too long, but wondering about packages. Is there anything you need or want? There's a little room left in the box in case you think of something.

Alex, I'm proud of you being a full-time missionary and how you are willing to serve the Lord and know that He loves all His children. Be an instrument in His hands and work hard to truly receive the Holy Ghost in your life so that you can know the truth of all things and be guided each day. Make notes of things you learn. I have a feeling you will be teaching others how to be good missionaries sooner than you think and the experiences you are having now are all for your good.

You're always in my prayers. I know you already know that, but I truly believe in the power of prayer. Be true.

Love you always,

mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxxooOOOXXX

Post Women's Conference/Broadcast

Sept. 26, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,

Well, another week, another Sunday. I hope you enjoyed your Sabbath. I remember a few weeks ago you said you really enjoyed Sundays so you could meet with the members. I hope they are all treating you well. Do you get many dinner appointments with them? How is it being on the other end of those appointments? Now you're the one the whole family looks forward to having in their home. I hope you're able to leave them all with a message each time.

I also hope this was a little better week for you. Have any of your new investigators wanted you to come back?

We had a very full weekend. The big BSU home game took place and they won. I can't believe how big it's getting here. ESPN had their college game day here, so you know what kind of hype that is. Then they won against Oregon State 37-24. BYU lost again.

Our big neighborhood news is that down the street from us (right next door to the MacDonald's who live next to the Thomas's) they are filming a feature length film. It's been fun seeing all the cars, the gear, the campers, the lights, the cameras, etc. It's going to be called Three of a Kind. I talked with someone there for a little bit when I was on a walk one morning. So we'll have to try and remember about it when it finally comes out in the theaters. Hopefully it won't be rated R. We'll keep you posted on that.

I, of course, was not really concentrating on games but instead the big Women's conference and broadcast. It all came together beautifully. We had the whole cultural hall full of tables and women. The food was beautiful, the skit was hilarious (headed up by Julie Jensen and written by Emily Allen). I spoke afterwards. I wasn't supposed to speak, but our speaker called us 2 days before and said there was a death in the family and wouldn't be able to be there. I thought at first that we should just call someone else, someone who wouldn't be nervous with 2 days warning. But the next morning I awoke early and felt strongly that I should speak and the words came so clearly to me what I should say. I was amazed at how clear it was, so I got up and wrote it down, fine tuned it during the day a bit and then spoke on Saturday. I was especially happy when I heard Pres. Monson speak later on at the broadcast and his thoughts and words were so similar to what I had talked about. Several women mentioned to me about the similarity. It was a very spiritual experience for me, the whole thing. So many sisters came together to make the whole evening wonderful. I was totally exhausted afterwards though. Maybe next time we'll get someone to do the decorating. That took us a long time even though it was simple. It was just the vast numbers of things we had to do because of it being on the stake level that we didn't expect. Pres. Monson's talk was so funny and so uplifting. He left us all feeling so good. I'm so grateful to have a prophet.

I loved your Wal-mart story from last week. We all had a good laugh about it. People sound like they speak very openly about religion there. I don't think we'd ever hear anything like that here at the Idaho Wal-Marts.

Today at church Tim Givens spoke in our ward. He did a great job. He said to say to you. He told some stories from his mission to Germany. Germany's not known for it's God-fearing people-in fact, probably quite the opposite. He told a story that his mission president told him, a parable. He said that if you fill a paper cup half full of water and place it next to a fire, the flames would burn the top half of the cup. He said the water represented the love of God and His love would protect us. Then he said that in order to fill the rest of the cup, we need to love God. Then the cup would not burn. But then having charity, or the pure love of Christ, would actually add so much water that it would overflow and put out the flames.

The reason he told this parable was because when he first got to Germany, especially in one town where there was much hatred and atheism and antagonism towards the elders, he couldn't see how he could possibly ever love these people(they became the flames in the parable). But even when they wouldn't listen to what they had to say, they began serving them through several different types of service and he couldn't believe how his love for them increased. Tim said he felt such a Christ-like love for the people of Germany and those feelings he had initially about them went away and even though he never saw much success in the way of baptisms, he continually had people make comments to them about how happy they were and how much good they were doing. He said he learned so much about the way Christ loves from his mission.

Sean has been here at home this past weekend. He got tickets to the BSU game from Jared and actually ended going to the game with Jared's girlfriend, Kendra and then they came over here afterwards and watched a movie. Sean headed back to Provo today, but got as far as Mountain Home and realized he had forgotten his computer, so he turned back and is now spending the night and going back tomorrow.

The Taylor girls got their mission calls this week. Alyssa is going to Louisville Kentucky Spanish speaking and Becca is going to Atlanta. They both are leaving 4 days after Christmas.

Spencer is in the MTC, his mom is doing "ok". Last I heard from Cameron he was waiting to get his visa and hoping it would come this week. I won't find out til I read his letter tomorrow. Also I should be able to read Austin's first letter from the Peru MTC this week. Next week, I'll get your first newsletter out to you.

So where are you going to watch conference? Do you go to a stake center or to a member's home? Tell me more about some of the people you're working with, members and non-members. What are the wards like there?

Family updates-
Kirk-still broken up with Laura. This may actually be the real thing. He went to Yellowstone yesterday with a group and said it was really fun. He's going hiking again next weekend and they're all getting dates. They have to do all these fun outdoor things now, because the weather will turn bad in Rexburg fairly quickly.
Sean-doing well at school. Will be going to Nate and Aaron's weddings in the next 2 months.
Alex-serving the Lord :)
Kristina-her Spanish teacher is very pregnant and will be taking maternity leave. Heather Pinder is going to be her new teacher so she's very excited. Kristina is still the Stake dance queen. She loves them. She's also really enjoying seminary and has done what you've asked and has been reading her scriptures every day. She's not so sure about your challenge to bear her testimony.
Leah-lacrosse is now her thing and Sean even brought her some new lacrosse stuff from a store in Utah.
Nikki-had a great birthday. She was so fun to watch as she opened each present. She loved them all. She's now looking forward to her friend party this next Friday. I'll give you that report next week. Both she and Leah and doing pretty well with scripture reading at night as they go to bed. I'm proud of both of them. Nikki is actually really improving with her singing since she's started this Cantus group. The software she uses at home is such a great help. It forces you to sing over and over again into the mic of the computer and then it grades you. So you can instantly see how close you were to the notes and then work on correcting them.
Dad-taught Nikki's primary class today and had a fun time. Got the kids all worked up with his explanation about leprosy. They loved it of course. He's getting quite a few boys in the 11 yr old scouts now. Hopefully, he'll get an assistant to help him, because right now it's either me or Kristina. He said he got the note from Elder Richins, but at the time it sounded a little cryptic. Since then, he's worked at Weiser and the people there told him about the Richins family and that they used to live by the golf course, but now they live up in the hills and the dad's name is Brad. Hopefully, that's the same family. We were confused when he first wrote because Sean had a companion named Elder Richins. If dad runs into them in Weiser, he'll be sure to say something.

Say hi to Elder Mix. You haven't really told us anything about him. Where is he from? How long has he been out, etc. What are some things you are learning from him?

I hope you have a miraculous week. Heavenly Father is very aware of you, where you are and who the people are around you. I know He loves you and I hope you always know and feel that too.

Love you very much,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxooxoxox

Sept. 19, 2010

Sept. 19, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,

How are you doing this week? I hope you are well, that you enjoyed your zone p-day in Paducah(can't believe you didn't at least poke your head inside the museum just so you could say you've been there and I haven't!)

How has the work been going this week? The program that they started here was having the members throw bbq's for their neighborhoods and at least get people to know their neighbors. You're kind of in a big bbq area, so that might be something they'd enjoy doing. Are you doing service anywhere on a regular basis?

I just heard from Sean and Kirk, both checking in for the week. Kirk broke up with Laura (for real) this past week and he seems pretty happy about the decision. He sounds like he had a fun weekend with a lot of new people. Both he and Sean are having to work hard just to get the classes they want. Sean is taking lots of journalism classes this semester so that he can apply to be a journalism major in January. Kirk is taking upper division classes in his health science major, but since the classes are small in size they fill up quickly and it's been hard for him to get some of the classes he needs.

The little girls just went to bed. Nikki still has a hard time going to bed 1/2 hour earlier than Leah, but after much stalling, she finally heads upstairs. Nikki is loving her Cantus singing group and practices hard. She even sang with the ward choir today. Leah started fall-ball lacrosse this past week and loves it. She speaks so highly of it that now Nikki says she wants to join in.

Kristina is still practicing driving and is struggling to learn the stick shift still. We're going to have to go out one day all alone and put in some time.

Sports updates:EHS won in a close game 51/50 over the weekend with Highland. BSU tromped on Wyoming 56/6 and BYU lost again. I don't know BYU's score and Sean said it was too embarrassing to repeat.

Spencer leaves this week for the MTC and very excited. Austin leaves the MTC in Provo and moves to the Peru MTC which he's very excited about. I don't have any word on Cameron yet if he's got his Visa yet. If he doesn't, he's going to be a very sad puppy. I've been in contact with Terri W. and Julie W. and we will start sending out a newsletter like we talked about, as soon as Austin and Cameron are at their new addresses which should be in 1-2 weeks. So a newsletter should come about once a month from then on. I'll include parts of your letter and any pictures you send in the newsletter too. So if you have any pics, send them.

Today at the singles ward, dad saw Tyler Durham. Dad asked him if he was just bored or if he was joining the church. Tyler just smiled at him. Anyway, it's good that he was there. I hope he had a good experience.

Alex this is Dad, Mom is on the phone planning for the stake RS dinner this Saturday before the RS general Broadcast, they are taking over the world... "40, no 45 tables is that enough for 450 people?" Their plot is to lure all the women of the stake over for a fun time before the broadcast and they are using a dinner as bait, sounds like a priest's quorum function. Speaking of priest's quorum function, I sent a snail mail letter to all of you old priests this week, so I hope you got it; I'll start work on another snail mail report tomorrow. I addressed it to you and Elder Mix so he could feel the Eagle 6th Ward priests quorum love. The big conflict for mom's RS function this Saturday is the BSU vs Oregon State Football game. It is the first BSU home game of the Year, sports center and game day are broadcasting the game so if your are by a TV next Saturday night 8 pm eastern time you should see some blue turf on the TV. BSU demolished Wyoming 56-6 last Saturday, Eagle beat Highland 51-50 (double OT) in Pocatello and BYU lost to FSU, sorry your team sucks this year without you. The offense of BYU is very anemic this year without Max and Pitta. Mom is back Alex, she wants to finish her letter, love ya, miss ya but am so happy you are in the field. Smile, work hard and be obedient, Love Dad

Hi, Mom here. I've been on the phone most the night trying to get the details worked out for our little party this Saturday for the RS sisters. Lots of people have signed up, but what we hear is that not everyone comes that signs up. But how are we supposed to know about how many will decide not to show up. This should be interesting.

Well, let me leave you with some little missionary hints from an RM who decided he wanted missionaries to know what it was really like out in the mission field. So he wrote this book called A Little Book of Missionary Reminders. It's full of tips and hints, so I may send you a few here and there.
1. Your president's first impression of you could last your entire mission. So look sharp when you walk off the plane to greet him. (well, too late for that one...)
2. Sing "If You Could Hie to Kolob" in your district meetings. (I guess for you that means that the 2 of you will be singing that one)
3. Try every "local" food at least once.
4. Excavate the dirt out of the grooves of your name tag on a regular basis.
5. Take photos of the common, everyday scenes from each area (laundromat, supermarket, apartment) (This one sounds like a good idea to me. You'll be glad you have those years later)

It's getting late, so I better wrap this up. It's very funny that you got a farkle set. I wish the little girls were a bit older cuz I miss game nights. Kristina taught me a new game yesterday that was fun, but it still needs a few more people. I hope you are happy and continuing to obey with exactness. There are many blessings that come with that obedience and even angels will assist in the work because of how important it is. Read your patriarchal blessing often so you are reminded of the love Heavenly Father has for you, it will give you strength.

I love you too, more than you know.


Mom
xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxxo

12 Sept 2010

12 Sept 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
I just got back from attending a standards fireside for the youth of the stake. I went with Kristina and the Stake Center was packed. It was nice to see. Of course, Pres. Stafford and Pres. Shaw did an excellent job. They know how to say things bluntly, but never seem to hurt feelings. I hope they do something like this every year at least until Nikki gets through Young Women. The new Stake Young Woman President also spoke-Dana Bibberston from the Eagle 7th ward. She's going to be wonderful with the girls.

The past few days here have been pretty busy. I hope you have had a productive week too. Today was Spencer Shumway's farewell. It was a wonderful mtg. Bro. Sorensen was the other speaker and he was great. He taught us that it's our own decision in life to be happy. His dry humor was a hit and he quoted everyone from Aristotle to Monson. Spencer became very emotional during his talk and spoke about making his decision to go on a mission when he was 6 years old and he never looked back from there. He's so anxious to get out on his mission.

I started the day off with an early morning Stake Welfare mtg. This time I took muffins from Costco to the High Council and Stake Presidency. I think my presidency will take turns each mtg and bring a little something to eat. I enjoy being a little part of the inner workings of the stake. It's interesting to me to see so many people working together, each doing their own particular area and how it all comes together when everyone does their part. We are all needed and when one person lets the ball down, it affects more than you know.

Last night the Poulson's had an open house, so we enjoyed very delicious food there for dinner. Kristina went to a stake dance later on-it was nerd night. She is totally enjoying the dances and has quite the reputation for her dancing. I don't know what crazy gene you two got!

Also yesterday we took the girls to the Humanitarian Center by the DI for a tour. They were having a little open house. It's always so motivating to go there and see how much they are doing and making for people in our area. There are over 300 homeless kids in the Meridian school district this year and the Center has made coats for all of them, not to mention the school kits, quilts, baby blankets, etc.

Friday night we all went to the Eagle High game against Rocky Mountain. Dad wrote you a letter with more details about the game, but basically we lost pretty badly especially after the QB broke his collarbone in the first quarter. By the way, dad is wondering if you've been getting any letters from him. He's been sending his snail mail, but he wants to know if they come to your place or if you're getting them forwarded from the mission home. He's been sending duplicate letters each time just in case.

Thursday night I went to a regional training meeting in Boise where 2 members of the General RS board from SLC came and talked to the Stake RS presidencies. It was a good meeting and especially great to be able to hear from the General Board and what they have to say. It was very motivating. Kind of like a zone conference or something.

Nikki has started her Cantus choir with Erika McCauley. So far, so good. She has all her music on some software called Smart Music and each week she practices singing into the computer until it's close to perfection, then she submits her work to Erika. It really forces her to practice and memorize her songs. This first song is in Russian so I struggle to even help her pronounce the words. Luckily we can hear it on the Cantus website. Very sophisticated little choir group!

Sean played in a lacrosse game over the weekend. He played on a club team and they played UVU's varsity team and Sean's team won. Sean's friend Brooke(who plays for BYU) asked him to play on the team. Sean was actually the youngest on the team, but he said he had a great time playing. He played defense.

Kirk called tonight and things are going well scholastically. He only has about 2 more semesters after this one. Laura is still up and down and Kirk's starting to tire of it. The saga continues.

Also Nikki's birthday is in 2 weeks and it's pretty much the topic of conversation with her every day. So I'll try to remind you next week to send birthday wishes to Nikki. We are now in the party planning stages.

Leah lost yet another tooth tonight. I think she must have more teeth than anyone or she's just pulling them out to make money. Here's a picture of their new room that she and Kristina share now.




So how has your work been going? I couldn't believe it when you said that you 2 are the only missionaries in your mission in Illinois. How is Sis. Drummond coming along? Did you ever get a letter out to Glenn Beck? I think he'd actually write you back.

You probably already know this, but stay close to the ward mission leaders and Bishops. If you ask Bishops and RS presidents for names of people in their wards that you can help with, you will get a huge list. Do you ever do splits with people there?

And yes, it was hard not getting a letter last Monday. I knew it was Labor Day, but I was hoping you'd find some other place to write your letters. There's just something so comforting to hear from you each week. Your mission is so new and it's all very foreign to us, so getting your insight about everything is so helpful.

I know there are people out there who have been prepared by the Lord. Learn to recognize the spirit easily and if you can do that, you'll be prepared throughout life. Each night as I pray for you, I pray that you might have the power of discernment about you. I hope you know how much you are loved. I also know that there are lots of hard days on missions, but when you do the hard things, and press forward with faith, the blessings will come.

Let me know if there's anything you need. You know I'm always here for you. I love you very much.

Mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxooxoxxxoo

5 Sept 2010

Sept. 5, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
We had a wonderful Sabbath and hope you did too. I know you mentioned in your last letter how much you enjoyed Sunday. So you're in Marion, IL! All this time I'm thinking of you being in Tennessee and it's hard to switch gears and know that you're in Illinois. But we found you on the map and Kirk even google-earthed your area. Sounds like many of the people there are still close descendants from the mobs. I hope you've been able to have a good week and had some good appointments. With so many churches preaching about our church, maybe for some people that will actually draw them towards us instead of against.
Dad and I went over to Dave and Shirley Clegg's this week to visit with Shirley. She hurt her leg pretty and bad and has been laid up for a while and is getting bored. We told them about your letter last week and Shirley was telling me about their mission in Nauvoo. She said your letter sounded very familiar. Even though they were in Nauvoo there were areas around them that the mission president told them to not go near because the hatred was so bad. She said she can remember going into a store one day and a couple salespeople walked up to help them. But then they looked at their name tags and just turned around and walked away and never came back to help them. She said stuff like that happened all the time, but she just started feeling sorry for them. Most people they talked with on the tours had really warped ideas about things that went on in the church and they learned those things from their pastors. It's hard to believe other churches can use up so much energy on hatred or meanness towards something.
An interesting thing Shirley told me about too was they drove through one of the towns that missionaries were not supposed to go to. they didn't stop, but just drove through it. She said it was such a run down place. Just bars, tattoo parlors, etc. It was the town where many of the mobs originated from and she said it was now a run-down, nothing town. To contrast that, just up the road 10 miles is another town (I think she said Quincy) where the saints were welcomed and helped from the harassment of the mobs. Many families were taken in by people in this little town. Today the town is flourishing, lots of businesses and activity and a growing area. Shirley said the difference in the 2 towns was amazing but such a testament to her about how much the Lord blesses those who are on His side.
You sound good and I'm so glad you have such an amazing attitude-it's truly a gift and now I hope you can see how it will help not only you, but those around you.
We are well here. I got to teach in the Eagle 2nd ward today and I really enjoyed it. I thoroughly enjoy being with the sisters even when I don't know them. My 1st counselor and I team taught. I taught from an article in the Ensign called "Don't be in a Hurry." It's based on Brigham Young's dream he had shortly after Joseph Smith was killed where Joseph appeared to him and said, "Brigham, don't be in a hurry." He repeated the words pretty sharply 3 times. The people in Nauvoo at this time were hurrying to get the temple completed, going out and serving missions, getting ready for the exodus west and many other things and Brigham was leading the way. The article talked about that sometimes when we hurry all the time, it becomes just busyness and that's not how the Lord works. Our work should always be contemplative and prayerful. It also mentioned the prophecy how in the last days they would be filled with commotion. We had a good discussion about how to slow down, listen to the will of the Lord, and that this is how conversion happens throughout our lifetime. So my part was titled "Be still." Then Michelle talked about our relationship with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost and her part was titled "And know that I am God."
As usual, me the teacher, learned the most. My favorite quote from all this was "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives." Pres. Ezra Taft Benson.
So the girls already have a day off school tomorrow. Dad is working, so I don't have anything big planned for the day off. We are going to watch the opening season BSU game tomorrow night though, so we had family night tonight. The town's going a little BSU crazy. Even Walmart had to bring in an extra cash register just for selling the BSU stuff. I'm happy for the Hawkes family. Kirk is leaving for Rexburg in the morning. It will be interesting to see how things play out with him and Laura. They have been in constant contact these past 7 weeks.
Sean finished his first week at BYU. His hard class is Chem 105, so if you have any hints for him, let him know. He loves his new apartment and his ward so far sounds good. He said it's 70% girls. He went to the first BYU game yesterday and they won 23/17. So far so good.
Kristina tried driving dad's white car to church today-stick shift for the first time/or stick fish as Nikki calls it. I wasn't in the car, but sounds like it was a rocky ride. She kept stalling cuz she was in 3rd gear instead of first. I'm sure you can remember your first few attempts in a stick shift. It's not a pretty sight, but she's a trooper just trying it.
We are having a constant influx of new families into our ward. You will not recognize it when you get back. We had 2 more families today. I can't keep up and since I'm gone a lot, I'm really out of touch. The Gills announced today that they are moving the end of the month to west Boise. Heather and Stacey Lee moved into our ward a couple weeks ago from the 2nd ward.
The Taylor twins are turning in their mission papers this week, so they should have their calls in a couple of weeks.
Austin and his family came by the house last Tuesday evening to say good-bye after he'd been set apart. Here's a couple pix (Terri was reading your letter) (The other pic is self-explanatory):




By the sound of Cameron's last letter, he's going stir-crazy in the MTC, so I hope he can hook up with Austin. Starting in October, I'll be sending you a newsletter with snippets of their letters.
EHS had their opening game last Thursday and they won it easily against Centennial. I heard EHS's quarterback played awesome.
Last night we went to Ann Morrison Park for a Balloon fest. It was pretty impressive seeing all those balloons lit up at night.


Well, that's about all the news from here. We still haven't heard if you ever got the package we sent to the mission home right in the beginning. Let us know. Also dad is sending letters snail mail, so let us know if you get them at your place in Marion.
You're always in our prayers and Nikki in particular is praying extra hard for the people of Illinois because that's what you asked for in your last letter. We read everything you say and want to help in any way. So please always let us know if there's anyone or anything you want us to pray about. We all love you very much and we know that Heavenly Father is with you every day. I learned from my lesson research this past week that when you pray, you should ask that you may do something that day that will be beneficial to the kingdom of God and always ask to have the spirit with you.
Have a spirit-filled week.
love you much,

Mom xoxoxooxxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxooxoxoXXoo

13 Jun 2007

June 13, 2007
Dear Elder Sean,
We really enjoyed your letters and descriptions of your fun week. I'm so happy the devotional was a wonderful event for you and the other missionaries. Thank you so much for sending your notes with your insights and observations. I loved that. I felt like I was right there with you. You have a gift of expressing your observations so clearly and uniquely. I especially loved Elder Eyring's comments about Pres. Hinckley's calming and reassuring words, "Things will work out."

I'm glad you got the suit and that you like it. I picked out the ties for you as a surprise. Send us a picture of how you look in it when you get a chance. Have you been taking pictures while in the MTC? Are you going to send them home to us before you leave for safe keeping?

I couldn't find the lyrics in Spanish for This is the Christ. Looks like your district may have to work on that one. Have fun with that. Are you playing the piano or singing?

So Alex and I finally found those chips you were talking about. We found them at Winco. First we smelled them. Alex said they smelled like mustard and so did Dad. I thought it was more of a vinegar smell. The taste went along with the smells. Then Kristina and all her friends tried them. Maggie said they smelled and tasted like pickled burritos. That was a good way of putting it. Then I took them over to the Ericksons. Dirk and Oliver both immediately said hamburgers after smelling them. Eli and Joel both said they smelled and tasted like mustard and catsup. Dirk, eli and Joel all tried them, but Oliver refused saying "how disgusting, it's like a hamburger without the bun, how disgusting." Jill also refused to taste them. Anyway, we had a lot of fun with them. They certainly got mixed reviews.

I went to Brandon McKell's farewell on Sunday. It was in our old building at 1pm, so I missed going to our ward. Brandon and both his younger brothers spoke. Brandon did a great job. The group of friends on the third row is gradually diminishing, mainly girls now. I talked with Myles afterwards, his eyes still teary from the meeting. He asked me if it's gets any better with time. I tried to reassure him, but to no avail. I just love having the McKells in our stake. Myles has always been such a special person and I'm glad to call him my friend. Imagine if 20 years from now while you're attending a ward somewhere you run into one of your friends from high school and they're still as wonderful (if not better) than they were then. It's great to see.

Dad and the youth are going to the temple tomorrow to do baptisms. It's our anniversay (22 years) but I think we'll end up celebrating on Friday. We're going to go to the temple Friday morning, then probably out to lunch.

Eagle Fun Days was last weekend. The only fun part of it was the wet zone of the parade. The little girls loved it and loved loading up their squirt guns and shooting the fire trucks. We hung out with the Sorensen's which was great because they just brought their hoses over the fence to use.

Alex went to Helaman last week and really enjoyed it. He came back looking just like Kirk with a shaved head. It's kind of startling seeing him since he looks so much like Kirk. We'll send you some pix of the academies. Alex said he especially liked Bro. Shaw's talk and Bro. Cameron's talk and also Pres. McCauley's. He said "Hia Ta Ta" was intense and so was the number game.

Our shed is almost built now. I think it's really going to look nice and will hold quite a bit. We had to buy a new printer today, ours finally gave up.

Leah is enjoying Sylvan so far. She loves getting tokens and spending them most of all. I take my tennis shoes and walk while she's in class. It feels good (of course, we haven't had the sweltering heat yet!)

My dad called tonight to chat. He loves reading your letters and mentioned that he received one from you. He was going to meet with one of the Stake Presidency tonight. Said he wasn't too anxious to find out what was going to happen there. I always love talking with my dad. My mom sounded pretty good too. She's such a graceful woman even in the midst of trials.

Well, that's about it for this week. I'll bet you're getting anxious to get to Argentina. Do you know your travel plans yet? We just want to make sure we're around the day you fly out. Let us know.

Take care and remember you're always in our prayers.
Love you,
mom
xoxoxoxooxoxoxooxox

9 May 2007

May 9, 2007
Dear Elder Sean,
Thank you so much for your fun letters. I tried to put the gist of what you said in my letter to Kirk so he could know what you were up to. It makes me sad that his camera got stolen. I was thinking that it would be a good idea for you to send us all your pix from the MTC right before you leave for Arg., at least a copy of them all. We'll be able to keep them safe here at home.

Your Spanish looks wonderful (a compliment coming from an untrained eye). It's just unbelievable to me that you're able to communicate that well already. I could easily understand your testimony. Thank you for sharing it.

I'm also going to look into the TALL method and see if it's available to us. I'll let you know.

Well, I had a great weekend in Utah. It rained, as you know, most of the time, but since we were inside for the bulk of it, it didn't really matter. Aunt Jan did great at the market. Her patterns were a hit. But the most interesting thing was seeing the workings of the wholesale world. There was so much wheeling and dealing going on and I loved being part of it. Executives from different companies would send their people around to all the booths to check out the new products. Those people would then tell us that someone would be coming by to talk with us later. Then one of the execs would come by and make an offer of some sort. For instance, the fabric companies (3 of them) asked us if we would be willing to design a new fabric line for their company. How fun would that be!! Jan doesn't want to do something like that, but I think that would be fun and so does Heidi. Maybe I'll collaborate with her on that. There was a publishing company that wanted us to make a book of the new patterns (when I say us, I was part of Threaded Pear Studios, the store Jan is working through) The owner of the Threaded Pear, Gina, is a quilter and designed some new quilt patterns for market. So we had new quilt patterns and new apron patterns. There were also four major distributors who want to carry our patterns in their catalog. The distributors take and fill orders from quilt stores around the world. Also Better Homes and Gardens wants Jan to have an apron and pattern for their Aug issue. All in all, it was a big success. Now the orders start coming in. I'm so happy for Jan. She has worked so hard on this. She called me yesterday and said, get ready now for the fall market which is in Houston in Oct. They want me to have some new patterns of my own to put out there too. So here we go....

While in SLC I stayed across the street from the Salt Palace at the Plaza which is owned by the church. The concierge there was a young return missionary and he took me around town when I needed to get some errands done. It was fun talking with him. He showed me the land that the church has bought which includes the entire block that the Plaza sits on. He also showed me where the campus for BYU-Salt Lake is going to be-right across from the Salt Palace. He went to CA on his mission and is getting married next week. He said he decided to go to LDS Business College because he wanted to stay right in Salt Lake which he loves and he wanted the best chances of finding someone he could marry in the temple. I love it. I guess it worked.

Anyway, I had a fun time and it was also a lot of work, physical labor and met a lot of new people. I probably walked 40,000 steps a day and part of that was lifting and hauling things, setting up the booth, etc. And of course I was in 7th heaven being around all the quilt world, a world I know very well. I was able to tell Jan who was who and what was important, etc. It was weird seeing all the people that I watch on HGTV quilt shows right there. Even Marie Osmond was there with a new line of fabric. And of course, I was able to purchase anything I wanted for the wholesale price-yippee!

Enough of that. Sunday we met in our new building finally. It's beautiful, clean. It felt a little odd like we were just visiting someone else's ward, but i think it will be nice. It's always interesting to see how the church refines and cuts back on the unnecessary parts of a building. I still like the old buildings. If you ever get to see some of them in SLC, you'll know what I mean.

Dad is getting ready for his first tax audit next week. I think it's pretty stressful for him. We're not the best record keepers, but perhaps from now on we will be. I know we'll learn a lot from this, I just hope we don't have to pay too highly for the learning.

This morning while getting the girls ready for school, i started to brush Leah's hair and noticed the whole front where the bangs should be had been whacked off. I asked her when that happened and she said she did it in school yesterday. I guess she wanted bangs really bad. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it. I may just take her to the hair dresser and get her hair cut short, cuz it will take quite a while for her hair to grow back to normal. Then I went upstairs and Nikki had written her name on the tread of one of the stairs and her whole bed was a bloody mess from a lovely nose bleed last night. Never a dull moment with them.

I'm taking the cubs on a hike today down the greenbelt. Wish me luck. they're about as obedient as Leah and Nikki and I'm thinking we should put leashes on them as we hike or else I'll be jumping in the river for an unexpected freezing cold dip.

Haven't heard much news from any of your friends. I know Brandon hasn't done much by way of getting ready yet according to his parents. He has some time though. I need to call the Frames to find out their meeting times. Everyone changed times last week cuz of the new building. I haven't heard from Tyler or where he is. I thought I'd check in with Jared this week and see how he's doing. Oliver is back living at home and according to Jill he's nicer than ever. She doesn't know what's going on. She's still hoping a mission is in his future. But he talks about going back to Provo in the fall and living with Jeff and Kurt. The singles ward meets right before us in the new building, so we get to see a lot of your friends each week now.

I love the song words you've chosen for your plaque. That's the most powerful song. I may have to edit it a bit to be within the word limit. Will that be ok, or do you have another choice? I'm going to check and see how many words are allowed. I think it should be ok and i'll let you know.

You asked for Kirk's mailing address. Here it is:
the easiest way right now is to send it through the pouch through SLC and it's just for letters. If you want to send something other than a letter, let me know and I can get the pkg address for you.

Elder Kirk Thompson
Dominican Republic Santiago Mission
PO Box 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

We all thought about you on your birthday and even put up the sign. You're always in our prayers and most of all you're always in my heart. Work hard, the Lord will bless you with extra strength to accomplish more than you ever thought you could, but remember to always acknowledge His hand in your work.

If there's anything you need, let me know. I hope you have a great week. I'm so glad you're part of a great district and that the work is fun. Enjoy.
love you,
mom
xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxo